Give Your Brain Just a Bit of a Break

Okay, so if you have already looked at the Biological Reasons section, then you know why our bodies need brain breaks. With this knowledge in mind, it's time to shake up traditional instruction by making time during the school day to do activities that give our brains a rest. Without further ado, I'll let my daughter, Bella, tell you more about what you'll find in this section. Even though she's not ready for school yet, she knows when her brain needs a break. Take it away, Bella!

Examples of Brain Breaks

There are a multitude of different brain breaks that educators may use in their classrooms. These are just a sampling of what is out there. Feel free to use these as you see fit, and think of others to use. Be creative! Just remember, a brain break only takes a minute or two.

Aerobic Rock, Paper, Scissors - Everyone loves playing rock, paper, scissors. Children and adults alike take pleasure out of indulging in this timeless game. Playing the classic version is acceptable for a break. However, playing the aerobic version incorporates more physical activity. To do this, students need to first pair off. Then, the pairs need to turn so that their backs are to each other. On the count of three, both players will jump around to face each other. While doing so, their bodies need to "form" either a rock (made by hunching down), scissors (made by crossing your legs), or paper (made by standing upright with your arms at your sides). As the pairs finish, the winners go on to play other winners until there is only one student left.
Backyard Brawl - What student doesn't enjoy wadding up paper and throwing it? This brain break takes that act and makes it even more enjoyable. To complete this activity, students need to bawl up one or two pieces of paper. If you want to make it even more fun, then this could be an assignment that you "decided" not to grade. Then, the class is divided in half. Each half throws their ball of paper at the other side. Of course, the students know beforehand that they cannot throw the paper at each others' faces. After a minute or two, the students can find out which side has less paper on it. That is the winning side! To make this activity even more interesting, math or another subject might be incorporated. Students can compare the two sides, practice factoring, or even simply count the amount on both sides. The possibilities are endless! A variation of this game could be Snowball which is more like a traditional snowball fight. Check it out on the video below.

Jumping Jack Math - Have you ever felt like you were losing your students in the middle of a math lesson? I'm sure that most educators have. To combat this, you could stop for a brain break of jumping jacks. So, how does this relate to math? There are numerous ways to incorporate it! After presenting an addition problem, the students could do jumping jacks to solve it and then write down the answer. Older students might find the answer to a multiplication problem. With most brain breaks, there are so many ways of making a lesson more fun.
Simon Says - Simon Says is one of those games that just about everyone must have played at some point in their lives. For younger students, listening skills and following directions are two of the most important skills that they need to work on. Simon Says incorporates both of those. Of course, these skills are also useful for older students to work on as well. Indeed, all students can enjoy and benefit from listening for those two magic words of "Simon says" and completing the command that follows.
Go Bananas! - This is a fun energizer that I learned at a camp when I was younger. In between learning sessions, the campers would go through energizers such as this one which were led by the youth staff. These got us refocused and ready to move on to the next activity. Something like this could easily be incorporated into the classroom and used as a brain break as well. While doing the "Go Bananas" chant, participants perform the accompanying movements. This one takes a little longer to explain, so I'll just let the video do that for me. Click on the video below, and you can see the original "Go Bananas" chant that I remember as well as other verses.

Partner Mirrors - When you're young, it's fun looking in the mirror and making crazy faces or motions just to see your reflection do the same thing. Even as we get older, this is a hard activity to resist. So, what could be more fun than pretending to look in a mirror and having a classmate be your reflection? For a short, simple brain break, students can get in pairs, and each pair pretends to be mirror images of each other. Choosing one partner to begin, the other part of the pair has to mimic an action as if they were a reflection. It's fun, easy, and it challenges children's creativity.
All About Me Movement - Sorting and categorizing is an important skill for all students. Just as children should be able to sort items by color or type, they should also see traits or characteristics in themselves that can be grouped. With this brain break, students get to perform actions based on things about themselves. For example, the teacher might say that any student who has a birthday in December has to jump once, or any student who has blue eyes must do one jumping jack. This is a brain break that requires students to think and categorize themselves as well as engage in physical activity.
Gotcha - As with most brain breaks, this one is very simple. Students need to form circles in groups of as few as three or as many as ten. Within these circles, each student holds their left hand out with their palm open and up. They put their right finger into the palm of the person beside them. On the count of three, the teacher says, "Gotcha," and the students simultaneously try to grab the finger of the person to their left and keep their finger safe from the person to their right. If you want to see this brain break in action, then check out the video below.

Pizza Hut - Apparently, there are many variations of this brain break that each have their own lyrics. Along with singing the lyrics, participants also perform movements that go along with the restaurant that they're singing about. The fun thing about this particular brain break is that it could be used with a writing lesson. Students can try a bit of songwriting by adding verses of their own. I guess the popularity of this energizer speaks for itself considering there is even a group called the Fast Food Rockers that have created a music video of their own version of the tune. The version that I recall goes something like this -

A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut! A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut!
McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and a Pizza Hut! McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut!
A Burger King, A Burger King, Long John Silver's and a Burger King! A Burger King, A Burger King, Long John Silver's and a Burger King!
Red Lobster, Red Lobster, Long John Silver's and a Burger King! Red Lobster, Red Lobster, Long John Silver's and a Burger King!
A Lean Cuisine, a Lean Cuisine, Ultra Slim Fast and a Lean Cuisine! A Lean Cuisine, a Lean Cuisine, Ultra Slim Fast and a Lean Cuisine!
Weight Watchers, Weight Watchers, Ultra Slim Fast and a Lean Cuisine! Weight Watchers, Weight Watchers, Ultra Slim Fast and a Lean Cuisine!

Bring Back My Bonnie - There are a variety of brain breaks of this type. These activities require participants to listen for key words and perform an action such as standing up, sitting down, tossing a ball up and catching it, etc. With this classic song, whenever you sing the word "Bonnie" you either stand up or sit down, depending on which position you're in to start with. Other variations include stories where participants have to listen for a particular name, and these could include an action such as tossing up balled up paper. Check out the link below to see some educators putting the classic "Bring Back My Bonnie" into action.